Lybrate, India’s largest online doctor consultation platform, came up with the data after analysing around 50 million interactions that happened on the platform over a period of 12 months, starting January 1 this year.

“Though people have become relatively vocal to discuss these issues once considered a taboo for public discourse, the tendency to yet not discuss these openly suppresses the real healthcare picture of the country,” said Saurabh Arora, CEO, Lybrate.

Non-availability of reliable healthcare data is a stumbling block in India and prevents deeper insights into patterns of diseases for devising meaningful strategies targeted at treatment and research and development.

“We have garnered ample data that provides a vital peek into valuable information pertaining to health and diseases with respect to different geographies, gender and age groups,” said Arora, adding that interactions are defined by cumulative sum of searches for doctors, health queries sought, patient-doctor communication and appointments booked.

While lifestyle diseases, especially cardiovascular ailments and hypertension, had been prevalent in Tier 1 cities, the data shows that these were now taking root in Tier 2 & 3 cities owing to change in living habits and this is disturbing. However, the report mentions that people were also inquisitive to know about preventive measures, diet and nutrition and wellbeing.